The Mother of All Invention
by Mara Lea
Summary: Jhoira's latest invention leads to a bit of embarrassment and a much greater appreciation for what Karn can do with his hands.


It was early evening, and Jhoira was in her room in the new Tolarian Academy working on a personal project. Just a simple piece of artifice, it could be called a piston of sorts, but she just couldn't get it quite right. What she really wanted was a slight curve; that was turning out to be more problematic than she had expected. Maybe if she adjusted the tension on that spring... That seemed to fix the problem. Now she needed to try it out. Just to be sure it worked.

As Karn neared Jhoira's room, he thought he heard a faint mechanical whirring. She must be working on another project. That was probably why she was late meeting him. She had lost track of time. Curious about what she was making, he gave her door a quiet knock.

Jhoira shot up with a start at the sound of someone at her door. Was it really that late? It must be Karn checking on her. If she didn't answer he would almost certainly be worried. Best just to invite him in; she wasn't too sure about walking at the moment. "It's unlocked," she called and, bending over her work table, began placing her tools in their bag. She really should have put the thing in there before she answered...

Upon opening the door, Karn saw that Jhoira was packing tools into her bag. So she _had_ been working on something. "What were you making?" he questioned.

"It's nothing. It's not ready," came the answer. Was he just imagining things, or did Jhoira seem a little flustered? She started shoving things into the bag more quickly, without regard as to which pockets they were going in. Jhoira was usually very particular about organization; there was definitely something going on.

"Is something wrong?" Karn asked. "Did I do something to upset you?" He would hate to lose his best friend over some misunderstanding he didn't even know about.

At that, Jhoira shot up straight and turned to face him. "No!" she exclaimed. The very thought of him worrying about her being angry at him hurt.

Oh no! She was losing her grip on her new artifact. She couldn't let it drop, not now. She tried to clutch it more tightly, but it was too heavy, and its smooth surface was too slick to hold on to. It fell with a loud clatter to the floor. Jhoira looked down in horror, almost as if to confirm that this was really happening. Yes, there it was. She just hoped that Karn hadn't noticed there wasn't any place that it realistically could have fallen from to end up directly between her feet. She lifted her left hand up to rub her forehead, muttering, "I can't believe that just happened."

Karn had only made it far enough into the room to close the door. Now he came closer. As he approached, he said, "Don't worry. It doesn't look like it was damaged by the fall. What is it?"

For a moment, Jhoira simply couldn't understand his lack of reaction. As she turned to sit on the edge of the bed, she realized that Karn's line of sight had put the work table directly behind her. He hadn't seen that the object had never been on the table. As far as he knew, she had knocked it down when she turned to face him.

"Jhoira?" Karn called her name in confused concern.

"Oh!" she snapped out of her reverie and scrambled mentally for what he had last said. "It's a... personal massager." There was a slight pause in the phrase as she decided what to call it. He may not have noticed where it had really come from, but she still had to deal with the explanations she hadn't wanted to make. "You can use it to get... hard to reach places."

Jhoira definitely looked flustered. What was wrong? It really didn't seem to be dented or anything. Karn reached down and gently picked the small object up in one large hand. The main body of the thing wasn't much bigger than one of his fingers. It was silvery metal, as was the norm for artifacts. That section was approximately six inches long, and perhaps a little over an inch in diameter. It was slightly curved, the center maybe an inch out of line with the ends, and a handle that was about three inches long protruded from one end. There was something slick on it. "What's this?" he asked, sliding a finger down the length of the object in an attempt to figure out what was coating it.

"A lubricant," Jhoira practically squeaked. Oh, gods, this was so embarrassing.

"Where did you get it? I've never seen anything like it before." In curiosity, Karn brought his hand closer to his face to get a better look. "It also has an unfamiliar scent," he added as his hand came nearer.

"I, uh, made it," she responded. She supposed that was true enough.

"You know," Karn said, placing the artifact on the work table, "if you ever need a massage, you can always ask me. I'd be happy to help."

Jhoira began to relax slightly now that her friend's attention was no longer on her latest invention. "That's very nice of you, but what if I... get a cramp in the middle of the night? It would be inconvenient for both of us then."

"It looks like you could use a massage right now," the silver man remarked, concern in his voice. "You need to stop pushing yourself so hard. Lie down and I'll take care of it"

'I wish you _could_,' Jhoira thought as she lay, face down, on the bed.

Karn's hands felt amazing on her back and shoulders, strong but gentle. Through the fabric of her robes, she felt him rub away tension she hadn't even realized she was carrying. Those thick fingers were smooth and warm, and she knew Karn would never grow weary from exertion. He was the perfect masseur.

Soon, Jhoira was relaxing into a state of bliss, humming appreciatively at her friend's ministrations. She was also starting to get aroused. If Karn could make her feel this good just by rubbing her back, what else could those hands do to her? Her feelings for him certainly didn't discourage such thoughts. In fact, they were the reason why she had been making a new artifact instead of looking for a human companion.

She could just picture herself asking, "So, how would you like it if I gave you a penis? And, by the way, would you to use it on me?" How would it even be possible to _start_ such a ridiculous conversation? She was better off perfecting this artifact.

After a few minutes, Karn could already see and feel the reduction in Jhoira's stress. She was relaxing into his touch, and it wasn't long before she let out a little moan of pleasure. It was a sound that struck him to his core, that resonated with feelings long held back. After all, his hands were the _only_ tools with which he could please her.

He thought he caught a slight whiff of that lubricant again. Had she gotten some on herself earlier? If that was the case, it was strange that he hadn't noticed the smell before. He thought back and realized the scent had become noticeable at about the same time as she started making those pleased sounds. Could it be? She said she'd _made_ it... He supposed his guess at the truth would mean she had done so in the most literal of ways. That would also explain why she had been so flustered by his finding her artifact.

The implication of this realization hit Karn like a tsunami. Did Jhoira have feelings for him? He truly hoped so; she was more precious to him than the entire world.

The silver man ran one large hand very gently down his friend's back as he said softly, "Turn over so I can do your head." Jhoira obliged, and Karn lifted the mattress from the bed frame, placing it on the floor near by.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, nothing but curiosity in her voice.

"The headboard would be in the way otherwise," was the answer. Though that was completely true, it wasn't Karn's only reason.

Now Karn knelt at Jhoira's head. Placing his hands beneath, he massaged her neck and head with deft fingers.

She responded immediately. "Mmmm... That feels really nice," she intoned. "I never would have guessed that a _head_ massage could feel good." Jhoira was also getting terribly turned on now; she could feel the slide of moisture on her inner thighs. At this rate, she was going to leave a wet spot on her robes. Or worse yet, she might just grab her most recent invention and beg Karn to use it on her like she had been using it on herself when he knocked on her door.

As Jhoira became obviously aroused, Karn began to simply run his fingers through her hair. It was so soft. He brushed a fingertip gently down the side of her neck. She shivered a little at the sensation, her lips parting slightly, and Karn felt happiness wash over him at her reaction.

His hopes raised by her enjoyment of his touch, Karn moved back to the side of Jhoira's bed. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on nothing but the feeling of his hands. He leaned down and gently brushed a hand over each of her breasts. She gasped, eyes flying open, nipples hardening.

Jhoira had liked that a _lot_. True, she had enjoyed everything Karn had done so far, but that was obviously not simply a friendly gesture. Could it be that he actually felt for her the way she did for him? She certainly wasn't going to stop him. Her eyes locked with his, and she gently bit her lower lip, letting it slip back out from between her teeth. She raised a hand and grasped one of the silver man's.

At first, Karn thought he had gone too far, and he was about to stumble out an apology when Jhoira gently pulled on his hand, preventing him from withdrawing. His spirits soared. How he wished he had lips; he wanted so much to kiss her. "Jhoira," he breathed her name as he placed the hand back on her chest and ran the other down her cheek and neck.

"Oh gods, Karn, don't stop," she begged, her eyes half closed.

Now, he changed position, moving to kneel atop the mattress, straddling her thighs without touching them. He continued to knead Jhoira's breasts, gently brushing her nipples from time to time. She was moaning in earnest now and caressing his arms and shoulders. He dared not put his weight on her, so with both hands on her chest he couldn't lean any closer.

Jhoira wanted Karn near her, and with a bit of gentle pulling, he seemed to get the idea. He placed one hand on the mattress and bent over her, hovering several inches above her body. She raised a hand from his shoulder to stroke his cheek. Then she slid the hand behind his neck and pulled him down further. He moved his other hand to the mattress as well and leaned down until she was able to kiss him. Jhoira supposed that under other circumstances she would have felt foolish, but she covered Karn's smooth silver cheeks with kisses.

He may not have had lips to give his own, but that didn't make the feeling of Jhoira's kisses any less intoxicating to Karn. He brought one arm back up and trailed his hand down her side, ribs to hip, then began undoing the buttons at the top of her robe. The opening was meant only to allow a head through, and Karn couldn't fit one of his large hands between the garment and Jhoira's body. She solved the problem by removing it entirely, pulling it off over her head.

Karn sat back and admired Jhoira's naked form for several seconds. She was beautiful, her skin golden, her hard nipples a light, rosy brown. Her black hair seemed almost to glow.

Now that she had removed her clothing, Jhoira was beginning to feel uncertainty and shyness creep back up on her, if only a little bit. She cared very much for Karn, and it seemed clear that he felt the same way about her. He wasn't even equipped to be pleasured by her in return, but here he was showering her with affection of the most physical sort. That thought brought her confidence back. She had nothing to worry about.

As Karn came back down above Jhoira, he ran a hand along the outer curve of her waist and hip. She put her own atop it and squeezed slightly, looking up into his eyes again as she stroked his cheek. This time, he caressed up her inner thigh, feeling the slickness there. She continued to look into his eyes, breathing heavily as it moved back down. On its second pass upward, the hand didn't stop at the top of her leg. As he brushed a thick finger against the warm wetness at the apex of her legs, Jhoira moaned unabashedly and raised her hips to grind against Karn's hand.

Encouraged by the reaction, he slid a finger into her slick opening, and she continued to roll her hips slightly. Karn slipped the finger slowly out and back into Jhoira's warmth. He used his other hand to brush against the little nub just above. She cried out so loudly that, had anyone been in the neighboring rooms, they certainly would have heard.

Jhoira pointed to the dresser and gasped, "Little stone globe, bottom drawer." Karn reached out with his less-occupied hand. After fishing about for a few seconds, he handed the object over. She turned the two halves in opposite directions and flipped a switch. Despite his mostly immobile face, Karn managed to give the semblance of a questioning look. "Globe of silence," she explained. "No one can hear us now." She set it down beside the mattress.

"Good," Karn rumbled, "I wouldn't want you to have to worry about disturbing anyone." Jhoira could have sworn that she saw his eyes glitter mischievously.

The orb now dealt with, Karn's hand returned to the bundle of nerves between Jhoira's legs. She gasped again and her breathing became shallow. Every few seconds, she moaned loudly, writhing in pleasure at the gentle and intimate touch.

Within a few minutes, Jhoira's moans were nearly unbroken, and her breathing was a ragged pant. Karn moved his fingers quickly, both inside and out, stroking a perfect rhythm. Muscles clenched tightly around the finger Karn had within Jhoira, and her hips jerked up and down against his other hand. A loud cry of ecstasy tore out of her throat. If not for the artifact, she surely would have gotten the attention of the entire wing.

When Jhoira's trembling ceased, Karn removed his finger from within her and leaned down near her. She guided him down to lie beside her. As she opened her eyes and looked back into his she said quietly, "I love you, Karn. I have for a very long time." She smiled softly, "I just wish I could do for you what you've done for me," and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Jhoira," his low voice rumbled, sounding as if he were close to tears, "I could never even have _hoped_ for this. I love you so much." Karn pulled Jhoira close to him, to curl up against his body. "I'll always be there for you. Just let me give you what I can, and that will be enough."

"Stay here with me tonight; I don't want to let you go," Jhoira nearly pled, pressing herself still closer to Karn's side.

"Of course. I'd like that more than anything right now," he assured her. "But I couldn't refuse one of those personal massagers."

Jhoira sat up and looked down in confusion at Karn's face. "What use could _you_ possibly have for one of those?" she asked, at a complete loss.

"Well," Karn replied, " I have plenty of empty space in my chassis. I thought one might fit well in the bottom segment of my torso. Maybe right about here." He tapped a finger lightly between his legs, and Jhoira could have sworn he was grinning despite his lack of lips.

She burst out laughing. "I think that can be arranged, but maybe it should be retractable. Otherwise we would both have a lot of uncomfortable questions to answer. I should have a prototype ready for testing within a few days."

Jhoira would do better than what he had requested though. Her first version worked well enough for her, but the new one for Karn would have to include a multitude of delicate tactile receptors. After all, there was no _point_ in giving the man a penis if it couldn't make him feel just as good as it did her.

As Jhoira lay back down and curled up against Karn, she said, "I just better not hear about you giving anyone else a massage."


End file.
